Help us empower the people of El Salvador.

About Us

ASAPROSAR is dedicated to empowering the poor. We listen to each community’s needs, identify leaders, and train these leaders in the areas of health, nutrition, family planning, child development, the environment and sustainable agriculture. The leaders then educate their communities. We strive for an integrated health approach that ranges from eye care to nutrition to animal husbandry.

The mission of ASAPROSAR is to “Improve the quality of life for the neediest families of El Salvador through integration and linking of programs to meet the fundamental needs of sanitation, environment, education, culture, economics and health. Priority is given to children, youth and women of the rural areas and marginalized urban settings.”

When visiting ASAPROSAR or viewing photos of staff and volunteers you will notice a lot of gold shirts… why gold?

The gold shirt came to symbolize ASAPROSAR during the Salvadoran civil war. Dr. Vicky Guzman was meeting with leaders from the warring left and right. Dr. Vicky explained to the group that her workers in the rural villages were being interfered with, threatened and sometimes harmed. Dr. Vicky explained that she and her workers were helping the neediest Salvadorans regardless of which side they were on and she needed to insure their safety. Both sides agreed to honor a color identification that represented her group and their work but the color could not be one of any of the political parties in the country. A gold/bright yellow color was chosen so that they could clearly be identified in the jungle and hills of western El Salvador.

Even today when volunteers arrive at the ASAPROSAR office to participate in a work trip they are given a gold shirt. The color represents hope and is a testament to those who fought through the war without bearing arms.

Today ASAPROSAR’s programs serve more than 140,000 people in western El Salvador, many of whom are living on the margins of society in extreme poverty. ASAPROSAR incorporates health and well-being into all areas of its six programs with a holistic approach to development.